A study of 62,193 children in a study of health care given to children found that children of single dads see doctors less often than both single moms and two parent families. They were also 20% more likely to go a year with out health insurance at all compared to the rest. 87% of single mother children and 86% of two parent families children had been to see a doctor in the last year, while only 8% of single fathers children had been to see a doctor in the last year. Only 57% of single dads children receive routine check ups while 69% from single mother children and 67% of two parent families receive them. Single dads are also more likely to bring their child into the emergency room for treatment as opposed to a primary doctor.
So, what’s the reason behind these staggering numbers? No one knows for sure, though there have been some suggestions. One of the suggestions being that since men look for health care for themselves less than women do, so they teat their children’s health similar to their own. Another suggestion is that men and women perceive their child’s health differently. So while a mom might see one thing as a need to go into a doctor, a dad would look at the same thing and see it as something that needs to be toughed out. It has also been suggested that men take more risks than women, and these apply to everything, including their children’s health.
Because there is such a huge difference in these numbers, a lot of people are concerned with reaching out to single dad families. Some have gone as far as suggesting that they use school based care to help these children that are “Slipping through the cracks.”
What are your thoughts on these statistics and the reasons behind them? When was the last time your child saw a doctor? Do they have health insurance if they need to see a doctor? All of these are very important things to think about and consider.
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